Ideas & tips for creating a life list | Life Lists , Bucket Lists & More

Most people have a life-list. They might not want to share it, but somewhere either in their mind or written down will be written the top 10 (or more!) things they want to achieve in their lives.

A life-list beats a bucket list for sheer positivity, and can seriously help you achieve your life goals. Plus, it will really help you focus on the things you want to get out of life. However, sometimes it can be tricky to get started. If you’re planning to write a life-list this New Year, you might need some ideas for your life list. That’s why we’ve compiled our guide to 5 things that should be on everyone’s list.

1. Something that scares you

If life-lists were easy to complete they’d be boring. Yes, you could fill your list with items like ‘learn knitting’ and ‘visit Nottingham’, but as those are things you’re likely to do without any effort in your everyday life, there’s not much of a challenge there. If it helps, think of it as things to do before you die. We don’t want to call this list a bucket list, but imagine looking back on your life and having no regrets. Then, begin your list.

Start with thinking of something you’ve always wanted to do but never quite had the guts to go through with. Maybe it’s something obvious like ‘bungee-jumping’, or perhaps something a bit more subtle like ‘acting in a play’. Whatever it is, make sure it’s something that takes you out of your comfort zone – you’ll feel a huge sense of achievement afterwards.

2. Something you can learn from

Alongside all the fun things on your life-list, like, ‘eat at a Michelin starred restaurant’ and ‘learn to make cupcakes’, there should be something that can truly enrich your life; something that you would genuinely class as a life goal. It might be ‘learning a new language’, or even re-training to aim for the job of your dreams. Make sure you choose something that you’ll find useful in everyday life, or you won’t have the motivation to complete the challenge.

3. A trip somewhere completely different

You don’t have to be a backpacking student to experience a completely different culture. And while there’s absolutely nothing wrong with a sunny week in Spain, it’s genuinely exciting to visit a country where everything is different. That country could be Vietnam, or it could be somewhere a bit closer to home, like Russia. Simply make sure that your life-list contains one trip to a place that you know nothing about. If you’re really stuck for ideas, or you just have two much choice, find a travel version of a things to do before you die website and pick somewhere at random!

4. Something that gets your heart pumping

Every life list should have at least one entry that gets your heart pumping. It could be white-water rafting the Amazon, driving a fast car around a race track or going on a rollercoaster. It should be something you want to do, but it should also be something that really gets you going and gives you a thrill. There’s nothing quite like that feeling of being on the edge of being out of control (even if you’re actually in a really safe environment!)

5. Something that will make you feel amazing about yourself

Your life-list is about you (it’s a very egotistical exercise really!) so it’s important to make sure that the things on it are all things you want to do; not things you think just look good, or things you think you ought to do. On that note, at least one of the life goals on your life list should be something that ultimately makes you feel amazing about yourself. Whether it’s losing weight or getting fit for a sporting event, it doesn’t matter; whatever it is you should complete it with the feeling that you have seriously achieved something great.